Does Cannabis Have an Effect on Blood Pressure?

Written by Paul James

Published in Weed World magazine issue 169

Images: Generated on license via Adobe Firefly

This question is important to answer for one simple reason – your blood pressure plays a significant role in other aspects of your health.

However, the difficulty in answering such a question is not all cannabis is made the same. While most contain high levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), others contain high levels of other cannabinoids, such as cannabidiol (CBD) or cannabigerol (CBG).

Being these varying cannabinoids found in different strains of cannabis, it’s challenging to determine exactly how one strain will affect your blood pressure. Still, we can take educated guesses.

Throughout this article, we’re going to take a deeper look at the correlation between blood pressure and cannabis. We’ll discuss the best strains to keep blood pressure leveled.

What is Blood Pressure?

Simply put, blood pressure is the force of blood in your arteries. Such pressure pushes blood through the rest of your body and plays a key role in getting oxygen to cells throughout your system. [1]

If you struggle with low blood pressure, your body is not delivering enough oxygen. On the other hand, if you have high blood pressure, this can lead to damage in your arteries and blockages of blood flow.

Blood pressure is constantly changing and is measured in two manners:

Systolic blood pressure – maximum value when your heart is contracting and causing blood pressure to be high.
Diastolic blood pressure – minimum value when the heart is resting and causing blood pressure to be low.

Will Cannabis Raise or Lower Blood Pressure?

Reports on marijuana’s effects on blood pressure vary. However, most experts agree cannabis raises blood pressure.

Various studies have found that THC increases systolic blood pressure while the short-term effects are occurring. [2] If consumed through the lungs (i.e., smoking or vaping), these effects are immediate. If consumed through other methods (i.e., ingestion through edibles), these effects may take an hour or so to become present.

Of course, such research is only concerned with the initial effects of marijuana. Other research has found that long-term marijuana use decreases overall blood pressure. [3] In other words, if you use cannabis regularly, your blood pressure will be lower than average when you’re not under the influence of it.

Even more so, this research largely looks at cannabis with high levels of THC. The truth is this plant is made up of over 100 other cannabinoids. Since going through each cannabinoid’s effects on blood pressure is impossible, we’ve laid out some of the most popular and what research tells us:

What are CBD’s Effects on Blood Pressure?

As a non-psychoactive cannabinoid, CBD has become one of the most popular chemical compounds on the market. And unlike THC, your bottle of CBD oil may improve blood pressure.

Admittedly, some studies indicate CBD does not affect blood pressure. [4] However, others show that CBD may help to lower blood pressure in individuals who are stressed. [5]

The latter argument is largely because stressed individuals tend to have higher blood pressure levels. If CBD can reduce stress, as studies indicate, then it would have a natural effect on lowering blood pressure. [6]

What are Delta-8 THC’s Effects on Blood Pressure?

With its federally legal status in the United States, delta-8 THC has also garnered a lot of popularity in recent years. Unfortunately, research into delta-8 is minimal, and we don’t have much to work with.

One animal study found that it can cause a temporary increase in blood pressure. More specifically, this may be due to a vasoconstrictive effect, which causes the arteries to narrow and tighten. [7]

This isn’t surprising because delta-8 is an analog for delta-9 THC and, therefore, has a similar chemical makeup.

What are CBG’s Effects on Blood Pressure?

While you’re likely not going to find high-CBG cannabis on the market, you will find varying CBG extract products, including oils and topicals. As CBD has similar effects on the body, it comes as no surprise that research has found that CBG lowers blood pressure in mice. [8]

What are CBN’s Effects on Blood Pressure?

Cannabinol (CBN) is an interesting cannabinoid. Like CBG, you’re more likely to find CBN-concentrated products than high-CBN flowers. However, if your cannabis isn’t stored properly, the naturally occurring THC may evolve into CBN. [9] This causes what many report as a sluggish high.

Currently, there is no research into CBN and blood pressure. However, CBN’s effects are somewhat similar to THC. More specifically, reports indicate CBN is about 25% as effective as THC. [10] This means it may cause mild psychoactivity in some individuals and holds the potential to increase blood pressure moderately.

Does This Mean Cannabis is Bad for Your Heart?

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), smoking cannabis will have a negative influence on heart health. [11] One of the reasons behind this is it will raise your blood pressure. Naturally, this makes your heart beat faster and increases the risk of:

Damage to your arteries
Heart attack
Stroke
Other diseases

However, it’s important to note that a few factors have led to this conclusion.

The first is the frequency of consumption. In other words, the more marijuana you consume, the more your risk increases. A study from Stanford University found people who consume marijuana frequently are more likely to experience a heart attack. This is due to increased inflammation of arteries within the heart. [12]

The second is the consumption method at hand. Inhaling cannabis is largely less healthy for your body. Part of the reason for this has to do with the fact that it provides you with instantaneous and intense effects.

Therefore, if you don’t consume marijuana daily and your consumption method is safer (i.e., edibles or topicals), your chances of a negative influence on your heart health diminish.

Still, even under such circumstances, cannabis will raise blood pressure in the short term. Therefore, if you’re already susceptible to high blood pressure, overall cannabis abstinence may be preferred.

Final Word

If you’re looking to avoid an increase in blood pressure due to cannabis consumption, your best bet is to find strains that are high in CBD. If such strains still have low amounts of THC, they will continue to provide psychotropic effects (though, admittedly, these will be mild) while decreasing your health risks.

Still, some individuals may have low blood pressure and look towards marijuana as a means of raising it. Under such circumstances, it’s highly advised you speak to a medical professional beforehand. They will have a keener understanding of your specific circumstances and whether or not marijuana will benefit you.

References

[1] InformedHealth.org [Internet]: What is blood pressure and how is it measured? https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279251/

[2] HHS Public Access: Cannabis Use and Blood Pressure Levels: United States National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2005-2012: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5237375/

[3] European Journal of Internal Medicine: Cannabis is associated with blood pressure reduction in older adults – A 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring study: https://www.ejinme.com/article/S0953-6205(21)00005-4/abstract

[4] International Journal of Molecular Sciences (MDPI): Chronic Cannabidiol Administration Fails to Diminish Blood Pressure in Rats with Primary and Secondary Hypertension Despite Its Effects on Cardiac and Plasma Endocannabinoid System, Oxidative Stress and Lipid Metabolism: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7072941/

[5] Journal of Hypertension: Vasodilatory effects of cannabidiol in human pulmonary and rat small mesenteric arteries: modification by hypertension and the potential pharmacological opportunities: https://journals.lww.com/jhypertension/Fulltext/2020/05000/Vasodilatory_effects_of_cannabidiol_in_human.16.aspx

[6] Journal of Clinical Medicine (MDPI): Enhancing Endocannabinoid Control of Stress with Cannabidiol: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8704602/

[7] The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics: Vasoconstrictor actions of delta8- and delta9- tetrahydrocannabinol in the rat: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/4606/

[8] American Physiology Society: Blood Pressure Regulation: Chronic cannabigerol administration lowers blood pressure in phenotypically normal mice: https://journals.physiology.org/doi/abs/10.1152/physiol.2023.38.S1.5726031

[9] HHS Public Access: Temperature Stability and Bioadhesive Properties of Δ⁹-Tetrahydrocannabinol Incorporated Hydroxypropylcellulose Polymer Matrix Systems: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2921171/

[10] WebMD: CBD vs CBN: What’s the Difference? https://www.webmd.com/pain-management/cbd-cbn-what-is-difference

[11] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Marijuana and Public Health: Heart Health: https://www.cdc.gov/marijuana/health-effects/heart-health.html

[12] Stanford Medicine: Marijuana linked to heart disease; supplement may mitigate risk, study reports: https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2022/04/marijuana-heart-disease.html